Basking in the Glow of the (not so) Creepy Clown -2/11-Pictures, Final Thoughts, PTR!

[brookelizabeth]

Ok finally up to date!!! Looks like Henry had a blast digging in the Dig Site. Its kinda cool I made your TR...thank you again for the wine stopper.

It also looks like a great day at MK...Congrats on making it to the opening of MK but how much does that stink that you didn't get the true opening. Hopefully you can make it to it in March....I am so jealous you are staying BLT. I can't wait to see your pictures! Thank you for the pictures of the construction area in Fantasyland. Oh I almost forgot I am so glad you got a smiling excited Henry when seeing the Castle! It was long over due for you!

Looking forward to your next update!

You are welcome! And it's still on my desk! This past week I was sick - and busy - which made me doubly exhausted. I have your address and I WILL be mailing it soon. I'm putting it on Monday's agenda!

I'm very excited to stay at BLT! I wish we could "afford" to stay there the entire time....but I'm also excited to be at the BWV again! They have a really great Community Hall that I want to spend some time in! BLT though is just beautiful - we took a tour of it this trip and I realized how much I like it, I didn't think I would!

Wow, you guys got a lot done at the MK so far! Of course, the first ride of the day with a little one has to be Dumbo! That line can get crazy long! I got some good shots of the construction while on the ride too!

Oooh..I'm drooling at the screen. I LOVE the cinnamon rolls from the Main St. Bakery!

There really is something about starting out an MK day with Dumbo! Now, if we could hit the CP at 8 and be out by 9 and then hit Dumbo right away - that would ROCK. However, that would require also getting up really early.

Brook, I am going crazy, I swore I replied to your TR. I have been reading along but apparently I was replying to you in my head .

I love the idea of you taking a picture of Henry when he sees the castle. That is a wonderful tradition to keep up with.

The pictures of the Castle are wonderful. I have really missed seeing it. The shots of the construction are great. They can't keep DISers from seeing what is going on.

You crack me up the way you described Henry's driving. I hope it gets better before he turns 16 .

Oh no, Phineas and Ferb t-shirts, Bill will want one. We are addicted to that cartoon.

That was so cute with PUSH and the CM. We need to track him down on our next trip.

The stuff from the bakery looked fantastic. We have never gotten anything from there, we need to change that don't we?

As for where you went next?? Hmmm.... Tomorrowland for Buzz Lightyear?? I am horrible at guessing.

Seeing PUSH was a lot of fun - Henry was very amused at a talking garbage can! If he hadn't rolled the other direction I would of had Henry get out and have a "chat" with him.

The bakery is very yummy! You should give it a try sometime! The ice cream sandwiches are especially delicious!!! And HUGE!

Enjoyed the FL updates

And checked all your pics but can't spot me or my family in the background anywhere, even though our paths must have been criss-crossing all morning

What are the odds?!?!? I so wish we would have run into you! Did you check your pics for us?

Caught up thanks to your links! So glad you have them on page 1!!

Sounds like a great day at MK! I have never caught the opening act, the "fake" one or the "real" one! I keep thinking that I need to get over there, but, alas, it never happens!

I just cracked up at Henry licking (Did it just look that way, or did he actually lick the sign??) the sign at Beaches and Cream. Too funny!

Way to fly through Fantasyland in the morning! I'm curious to see where y'all went next.

No prob on the links! I know how it is to need those!

I'm with ya on the No RD! We love those slow mornings and just taking it easy. It is nice to be in the park early, but in slower seasons it truly doesn't matter that much.

No, he ACTUALLY licked that sign. I thought he was going to pretend as I snapped the picture, but nope - tongue made contact!

A banana!!!!???? I just don't even know what to say here....




Great photos of the construction. I'll refer Tim over here, since he asked me to capture what I could. And was a miserable failure at.

I can't even imagine riding the Speedway with a 3 year old. Glad he has a few years to hone his skills.

Oh, too funny!!! I forgot about your dislike of bananas! Can you believe he chose that???? I even asked him, "Are you sure baby? Do you want a muffin instead?" I TRIED to get my kid to eat processed sugar! (not normally, just on vacation )

And thankfully we don't drive in NYC, so I don't have to worry about those driving skills!

 

[All7OfUs]

Oh, too funny!!! I forgot about your dislike of bananas!

You were dangerously close to a merging of our threads! All the gagging that might have ensued....

 

[brookelizabeth]

I am finally getting caught back up after our trip! I missed a lot of updates!

Before I forget, you were asking someone about the price of the Mickey ice cube trays- they are $5.95. I bought a red one- I can't wait to make ice cubes with it! And Jello! David was very excited and he picked it out.

We spent a ton of time in the Boneyard- but somehow never saw the big "sand" pit!! How could we have missed it? I can't believe we missed it! Is it off to the left as you enter? We spent most of our time in the water section! We are totally eating at Restaurantosaurus next time- the bucket and shovel are awesome!

I think that picture of Henry sitting at the bar at Beaches & Cream is the cutest thing ever!!

Love Henry's reaction to seeing the castle for the first time! And I can just taste that chocolate croissant right now. Don't you think Dunkin Donuts could make something like that? It can't be too hard!

I can't believe how low the crowds were when you were there! Had free dining started at that point? Our crowds weren't bad, but there were definitely longer wait times than you had.

All your pictures are so awesome- it is helping me with my Disney depression!

First, we got your postcard, thank you!!!!!!!!! I took pics, but haven't downloaded them due to being sick/busy. I plan to post it here as part of an update! Henry was SO excited that Mickey "remembered" him!

How was your trip???

$5.95 for that ice cube tray is awesome! And fantastic idea about jell-o in there!! LOVE that. I am thinking one will be coming home with me in March.

The sand pit is off to the left, up the stairs and over the bridge - it's completely hidden from the rest of the area. We didn't know about it our first time there, and just randomly found it the second time. Where is the water area? I think I remember a bit of water trickling down a wall or something like that....

YES! Dunkin' could totally make something like that! They make a new chocolate bagel thing - and they already make croissants. But, I'm glad they don't, I'm at Dunkin' like 3 times a week for coffee, if they had chocolate croissants I would be in trouble!

No idea about free dining....it might have started just after Labor Day maybe? We followed the UG's Best Park Days too, so that helps even more. Low crowds + their Best Days chart is always fantastic!

Well... if you decide to do that Friday, March 6 seems like it would be an excellent choice of days... that's when we will be there. I think our ressie is at 8:05.

We have Epcot on the schedule for March 6; however, we'll be at BLT by then, so a CP breakfast is completely doable....hmmmm....I'm going to throw it in the notes and see what Joe thinks. Not even sure we'll be able to get an AM ADR there though. It's soooooo yummy and so fun to be there with an empty street!

I'm catching up and just read "Flying or Fish". Love the title btw.

My girls LOVED Nemo. In fact, we listened to the music yesterday on D-Cot.

Great photos as always.

And I LOVE that you mentioned needing to “go with the flow” directly below a photo from the song “Go With The Flow”.

Well played my friend!

I didn't even plan the "go with the flow" thing!

I'm glad you got your popcorn!


LOVE the Boardwalk at dusk photos!

That popcorn was so good a bucket is purchased later!

Annnnnnnnnnnd Done.


Awesome updates BE!

Your RD morning looked fantastic! (Even if there was no nifty show.)

Great pics as always. Now I'm off to catch the video clips.

(Can't wait to see the Main Streen collision!)

Now the collision would have been even funnier if I had literally walked DIRECTLY into a person. Regardless, it's an awful video with me totally distracted by Henry, the Castle, the people, video recording...but it's still Main Street!

Why do you people insist of updating on the weekends????

Sorry about that! I must admit that I have used your handy chapter links to catch up!

I love Henry's reaction heading up Main St! Brook, are you one of those rouge stroller drivers?

Great pics from Dumbo (and good choice Henry!) Wow it looks like they have took down a lot of trees during construction.

How great to hit all those rides in 1 hour! I think Juliana & Henry would get along fine. She would love him for picking a pink cup on the teacups!

Main St. bakery is da bomb!!!!! So GOOOOOOODDDDDD!!!!

I love updating on the weekends! Joe is busy with Henry in the AM and I just lounge around on the DIS.

Joe is the rouge stroller driver! He always "drives"; however, I AM the rouge iPhone video taper. I totally wasn't paying attention walking down a "just after RD" Main Street!

I think Henry would LOVE Juilana - he already has a thing for older girls and blondes! No joke though - two of our friends have older girls who are blondes and he talks to them on his "phone" all day. Or he calls them over Skype. (sorry kid, you are bound to be a nerd if you know what Skype is at age 3!)

Hey Brook! Hope everything is OK. I haven't seen you in a day or so. LOL!

Things are good now! I was so sick, and then exhausted. I was drained from being sick and not being able to rest - at night I would just zone out on hulu.tv instead of the DIS! But, I'm feeling better now. Still not 100%, but close.

Glad to hear that you made it to rope drop but then sad to hear that they didn't have the music and dancing. Oh well, at least Henry was delighted by the train and Mickey Mouse.

Great picture of the construction while flying around on Dumbo. I need to go over to the other threads and see what the current construction looks like.

Those Main Street bakery goodies look super good. You know we've never had one thing from the bakery. I can't believe that we've been to Disney 15 times (and the MK too many times to count) and I've never sampled those luscious looking baked goods you guys ate.

MeMom is heading to WDW today too, so she'll nab us some fresh pics of Fantasyland! I look forward to seeing the progress! I hope by March there is more there and less dirt.

You gotta try the Bakery! It's a lovely little spot! The line is often long, but moves quickly. Lots and lots of goodies - including the amazing ice cream sandwich that is HUGEEEEEEEE!

Just checking in. Hope everything is ok with all of you!

You guys are so sweet! Thank you for the check-in!

Hey Brooke-

I was wondering what happened to you! So glad to hear you are feeling better. Looking forward to your next update!!!!!!

Thank you!!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

It took me awhile but thanks to your handy links I'm all caught up!

I have to go all the way back to arrival day (I know, I know!). I felt so bad for you with your dinner mishap (going for Mexican when there was none to be had). They did have a small stand set up when we went in May where you could get a few simple things, nachos and the like, of course finding a table to sit and eat would've been a challenge. Option #2 turned out awesome anyway especially since you were able to WALK RIGHT ON to Soarin' after dinner! I was so excited to read that Henry loved it

On to AK - I've never noticed that dedication stone, very cool! I'm sorry you missed Flights of Wonder again, but I certainly understand the pull of the A/C while in AK, man it's hot there!

Your dinner at Beaches and Cream looked good, I'm not a fan of onions, but love good onion rings - strange, I know. Henry's big smile over his birthday balloon was too cute!

I was so excited to hear you made the MK rope drop and then crushed when you said you thought it was just ehhh. I understood completely though when you said you didn't get the song, that's what makes it so awesome! You totally got ripped off on the opening.

How fun that you got to see PUSH, in all my trips I've never seen him. It looks like he was drawing quite the crowd by the time you shut your camera off!

And finally, a big fat CONGRATULATIONS on your Feb/Mar trip! 15 days - wow! I'm insanly jealous!

We did end up eating at that little Mexico stand later in the trip. It was DELISH!! I hope they kept those same foods in the new CS, I haven't looked very closely at the menu yet. However, for that night - it did work out perfectly with Soarin' being a walk-on. It was meant to be!

I really can't wrap my head around 15 days in Disney. I feel spoiled by it! It will be our only trip in 2011 (most likely, unless we find a money tree and go on a cash trip), so we decided to go big! We hope to buy more point in 2012 or 2013, so we are just fine with borrowing into next years DVC points. Planning for a big trip is a lot harder than I thought it would be though. But, I'm not allowed to complain, it's a good problem.

Oh dear I was 2 updates behind.

I'm so sorry you made it to rope drop and they didn't give you the Full Monty. I love the opening show. I brings tears to my eyes. I'm just a sentimental sap.

Henry looks so happy to be there. You had a fabulous morning in Fantasyland. The sweets looks so good from the bakery. It's been years since we stopped in there, I really need to slow down.

Hope your feeling better and looking forward to more.

I'm with ya on the sap thing. I am as well! I get teared up so easily at things - like my first viewing of Wishes each trip, or the first sight of a Disney bus. Yep! A Disney bus makes me cry!

Henry loved being there - almost everyday he talks about going back!

Caught up! Good line mojo on some of those rides. That Main St. Bakery is something else, right? "I'll take one of everything please."

We got some great line mojo the entire trip. It really does make for an easier and more enjoyable trip. I just love that slow season! Too bad H will be starting school and we'll be doing more summer stuff....or will we....

 

[999ghostslover]

Love all of the Fantasyland updates. Did Henry really enjoy the Racetrack? I haven't been on that since I was a kid and am debating for this trip. We'll see!

 

[brookelizabeth]

This is my Mom.

Can anyone tell me where she is????





Yep, she's in Epcot.

She went to Florida earlier this week to visit a long-time friend of the family. She has always thought she would love Florida and thought maybe she would retire there. She wanted to see if she'd like it first. So off she went for a week in the beautiful October weather, complete with a trip to Epcot.

And she LOVED it.

L-O-V-E-D.

She had a 4 year plan for retiring. Which is now bumped to two years. She is ready to go NOW!

And that long-time friend of the family? Well...he happens to be male. And single. And she's single.

Wait. Neither one is single anymore!

My Mom is moving to Florida! MOVING TO FLORIDA! If her and her man stay together (which I would not be at all surprised if they do-they have been friends for over 30 years!), she will live about 1 hour away from Disney World. And if they don't stay together, I still think she'll be moving there since she loved it so much - not sure what area she'll live in, but close to the Orlando area.

What does that mean for us? I foresee holidays in Florida. Holidays at Mickey's. Quick trips to Florida. Quick trips to Mickey's! I'm thrilled that when we go to Florida we'll be able to see my Mom too!!

I'm stinkin' stinkin' excited!!!! For us, AND for my Mom. She hasn't been all too happy with her current living situation (for so many reasons), and this is a huge thing for her. I think if she could retire tomorrow she would!! Her new relationship, and having this goal is like a dream come true to her. I haven't heard her this happy or excited in a loooooong time. I'm beyond thrilled for her embarking on this new adventure with both moving and the relationship!!!

I'm going to work on a TR update - we'll see if the H-Man stays asleep long enough!

 

[glennbo123]

Having family in the Orlando area....priceless!

 

[MaryAz]

Yay for your Mom!! How exciting for all of you!! She look very happy in Epcot. And here is some for the update

 

[KatMark]

Having family in the Orlando area....priceless!

Couldn't have said it better myself, Glen.

Congrats to your Mom, Brook. It sounds like it is all working out.

 

[999ghostslover]

That is a fantastic thing for everyone.
We have family about 45 minutes away from WDW and, if nothing else, it is at least an excuse to seem less crazy to non-Disney folk. My best friend just does not get the whole Disney obsession thing. So I usually play up more the fact that we have to go see great grammy and the aunts and uncles. Of course we only do that for one out of eight days but it makes me seem less crazy. Although I'm pretty sure she, at least, sees right through it. but maybe others buy it.

I wish your mom and her fella lots of happiness. And maybe a Disney wedding in the future.

 

[SoonerGirl]

How exciting for your mom! And how awesome for you having family in Florida!

 

[dekkerdisneydreamer]

Yea for your mom and you! Has she ever been to the world before?

 

[brookelizabeth]

We left off sweeping through Fantasyland and munching on some goodies from the Main Street Bakery - where to now?

I don't think anyone guessed it right, but we were off to...

We missed this completely in December and I VERY much wanted to experience it one more time before it disappears.

I asked Henry if he wanted to ride the roller coaster, he was NOT interested. I got firm "No, Mommy" back each time I asked. They do plan to keep this though, right? Just re-theme it???? I hope it's a go in March!

Instead of Goofy's Barnstormer, we were off to the giant pink house!

Henry was VERY intrigued when I told him this was Minnie's house!

He really liked her paints and could NOT understand why he wasn't allowed to use them.

He could have sat here and pushed the popcorn button for an hour if I had let him!

He spied the cookie jar from the floor and was very disappointed to find the jar did not open! I am near certain in this picture he was saying "Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase Mommy can I have a cookie?"

The dern candy dish didn't open either! What is up with Minnie's house??!?!

The incredible inflating cake

I had never noticed all these move! Very cute.

A good motto Americans often forget!

Continued in next post

 

[brookelizabeth]

Continued from previous post

Minnie's prize flower collection got a few chuckles out of me!

While I admired all the clever details of Minnie's house, Joe snuggled up with Mickey in a chair...

Henry and I played in this window for a few minutes, running back and forth. Great entertainment for a toddler!

Outside, Mickey got a piggy back ride. His legs were tired from walking.

We moved onto the gift shop. We had never been in here before, I didn't realize it was so big! We spent a lot of time in here, just playing around and having a good time. I think this begun Henry's love of the gift shop. Later in the trip he asked to go into them. Joe once asked "Why?" "Fun stuff in there Daddy!" Yesterday we were at the Children's Museum and he BEGGED to go into the gift shop!

I took this just for curiosity sakes. It was around 10:30 or 11:00 by this time.

Henry chose some head gear for himself and for me

A pink tea cup and now a Minnie head band! Oh the pictures we will have to show when he grows older....

But then we had to switch!

Soon after playing with the head gear and some plushies the Mr. Potato Head station was found - and that is where Henry stayed for the rest of the time we were in the store. He was FASCINATED with all the different pieces! I had wanted to get a box of the random parts, but this just confirmed it for me - he was very much into this, we had to get the parts now! I thought about getting them here, but wondered if Once Upon A Toy in DTD had a better selection. I posed the question on Facebook and got back some responses that encouraged me to wait for our DTD trip to buy. So we just let Henry explore and play with all the pieces!

I scurried around and made a Buzz Lightyear Potato Head.

He LOVED it!

After a while I wandered around while Joe and Henry played.

I thought this shirt was adorable!! But I didn't buy it...not here anyway.

Cute display shelves

Continued in next post

 

[brookelizabeth]

Continued from previous post


After we had to literally peel Henry away from the Mr. Potato Heads we made our way over to Mickey's House.

I had just turned around from Mickey's bedroom to capture the door picture above, then walked over to the next room wanting to pose with Henry and the bike and realized we had to HIGH TAIL it outta there....STAT DIAPER CHANGE!



But all was well. We got the diaper changed in time. Henry had nooooo interest of returning to Mickey's House but had noticed the playground - of course! So that is just where we went.

Joe and I marveled that the last time we were back in Toon Town Henry was just starting to get into slides and these were BIG for him - now he was an 'ol pro!

It was pretty exciting stuff for Henry when the train went by!

Eventually we made our way out of the area, snapping a few more pics as we left. Would it be forever? I wasn't sure at the time - and am still not, when is Toon Town expected to close? Regardless, I'm very glad we took some time here to "say good-bye" to Toon Town this trip! Thank you for the fun memories, I look forward to the future!!

We were headed back to Tomorrowland. We had a goal in mind. Something we both enjoy, and something we knew Henry would as well!

 

[claryche]

So exciting. Not only for your Mom but for you guys too.

It all sounds so wonderful.

 

[blessedby3]

Great update Brook!! First off, Im so happy for your mom and YOU! That is great to have family in FL
I grew up in Winter Park, FL and was about 30 mins away from WDW......we lived there when WDW opened and back in the day when there was only the MK! That will be so much fun for you guys
I love all the pics you took in Toontown. We really should have taken more when we were there in May. You and Henry look so cute in the Minnie ears
Alexa rode the Barnstormer on our trip and was a little unsure. Im hoping that she will like it more on our next trip. She did LOVE that little playground in front of the train station

 

[PopArtGal]

So great about your mom! So happy she's found someone that makes her that happy.

Great time in Toontown. I got to Toontown just to check out that store hehe

 

[999ghostslover]

Ah yes, I am a veteran of the diaper changing tables in Toon Town. All too familiar. Let me ask you, is he potty training at all? Did training or not play into your trip? I had really wanted to have Brady PTd by our trip. It will also be his third birthday. We are working on it now. He has crazy bowel movements so we are having some difficulty. I swear he will be diagnosed with IBS or something worse as an adult. Anyway, I just really want to be down to diapering only one by that trip. Otherwise it is so many diapers and so many stops each day. Let me know your thoughts.

 

[jenseib]

Yay for your mom! how wonderful.
Love the update. I do hope to make back to Toontown before it closes too. I want to really take in some more of the house details like you did.